Mario Roatta

Mario Roatta was an Italian general. After serving in World War I he rose to command the Corpo Truppe Volontarie which assisted Francisco Franco's nationalist forces during the Spanish Civil War. He was the deputy chief of staff of the Italian Army from October 1939 to March 1941 and from March 1941 to January 1942 its chief of staff and helped in preparing for the invasion of Yugoslavia. Roatta would gain the nickname "Black Beast of Yugoslavia” due to his brutal methods of repression.